New Delhi, June 24: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has requested a report from the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the Jalna district administration, and Maharashtra police regarding allegations of extremist content during an annual school event in Jalna district, Maharashtra.
In response to a complaint, an NHRC bench led by member Priyank Kanungo took cognizance of the matter under Section 12 of the Human Rights Protection Act, 1993. The commission directed the concerned authorities to investigate the allegations and submit a report within two weeks. According to a notice issued by the NHRC’s legal division on Wednesday, notices have been sent to the CBSE chairman, the district magistrate of Jalna, and the superintendent of police in Jalna.
The complaint presented to the human rights body claims that the incident occurred during the annual program at ‘Kids World English School’ located in Partur, Jalna district. The complainant alleges that “children were made to perform to an extremist Pakistani song promoting violence, which featured an image of terrorist Mumtaz Qadri in the background.”
The complaint further alleges that when the issue was raised by the complainant, who is a journalist, the school administration and Jalna police initiated retaliatory actions against them.
The NHRC stated, “The complainant also alleged that after disclosing the matter through journalism to alert the authorities, both the school administration and Jalna police began retaliatory actions. They formally issued content removal notices to ‘X’ and threatened to implicate them in criminal cases to suppress the investigation.”
Seeking intervention from the top human rights body, the complainant requested formal acknowledgment of the alleged extremist content shown during the school event, an independent investigation into the alleged administrative intimidation, and protection for investigative journalists from retaliatory actions by law enforcement agencies.
Considering the allegations, the NHRC remarked that “at first glance, these appear to be violations of the victims’ human rights.” It instructed the CBSE chairman, the district magistrate, and the superintendent of police in Jalna to investigate the claims and submit a report on the actions taken within two weeks.
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